Flight plan: Russia expects to return passenger traffic from China to a low-level

Russia expects in the near future to return passenger traffic with China to the low—key figures of 2.9 million people, Andrei Nikitin, the head of the Ministry of Transport, told Izvestia. This will bring countries closer to the introduction of a permanent visa-free regime and will become a driver for the development of tourism infrastructure in Russian regions, experts say. The increase in traffic is also associated with the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East — travelers have become more likely to use China as a transit hub for trips to other countries, the Russian Union of Travel Industry said. The intensification of flights also strengthens business ties between the two countries, with an official delegation from China expected at the SPIEF, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui told Izvestia.

Russians and Chinese began to fly to each other more often

After the lifting of post-flight restrictions, passenger traffic between Russia and China is steadily growing, Andrei Nikitin, the head of the Ministry of Transport, told Izvestia. According to him, the introduction of a temporary visa-free regime in a test format in September 2025 led to a 38% increase in this indicator by the end of the year.

— In general, the lifting of visa restrictions between Russia and China has led to an increase in passenger traffic between the two countries — from 20 to 40%, depending on the route. If we maintain such a pace, we can expect in the short term to reach record figures of 2.9 million passengers in 2019," the minister added.

According to him, in January 2026, Russian airlines alone transported more than 156 thousand people from Russia to China and back, and passenger traffic in the first month increased by 44% compared to the same period last year.

The growth of indicators and the absence of problems after the relaxation of the migration regime will pave the way for the introduction of permanent visa-free travel between the countries, believes Alexey Maslov, director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Moscow State University.

— Visa-free travel was introduced between China and a number of European countries in the same way.: at first, for a year or for a limited number of days. This has now been expanded in practice, meaning a permanent agreement has been signed. I think the same thing will happen with Russia," he told Izvestia.

During the test period, the states check to what extent transport and tourist infrastructure are ready to ease the migration regime, the expert explained. A mutual visa-free regime is in effect between Moscow and Beijing until September 14, 2026. Any Russian can travel to China for 30 days with only a passport.

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Will this destination be popular with Russian tourists

Extending visa-free travel would be a logical step and would help achieve high passenger traffic figures, Dmitry Gorin, Vice President of the Russian Union of Travel Industry (PCT), told Izvestia. According to him, the number of trips by Russians to China increased by about 30% last year.

— China has been visited by as many as 2.46 million people for various purposes. This is a significant increase, which is facilitated by the abolition of the visa regime and the expansion of air traffic between the countries," the expert stressed.

Pure tourism accounts for a significant, but not all, part of the flow. As the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran escalates, China is becoming an even more attractive place to visit. If earlier Russians used the countries of the Middle East as a hub for further travel to other countries, now China has taken their place. Today, the republic has taken the second place after Istanbul in connecting flights to third countries, Gorin noted. For example, Russians often combine their trips: together with China, they visit Japan, South Korea and other countries with which the Russian Federation does not have direct flights.

Interestingly, the number of Chinese tourists to Russia decreased by 1.6% last year. In 2025, more than 800 thousand travelers from China visited Russia. This is due to expensive air travel, problems with mobile communications and airport closures, the PCT believes. In total, inbound tourism has halved since the pandemic, including Chinese, which has not yet been restored. By 2030, Russia plans to quadruple the flow of tourists from China and increase air traffic to 200 flights per week, Maxim Reshetnikov, the head of the Ministry of Energy, said earlier.

How the visa-free regime will strengthen economic ties between Russia and China

After the coronavirus pandemic and the deterioration of relations with the West, it was tourists from the BRICS countries, especially from China, who were able to contribute to the support of the tourism industry in many regions of Russia. Moscow, St. Petersburg, Murmansk and Irkutsk regions, being points of attraction for Chinese tourists, are now receiving additional budget revenues, which in the future will contribute to the development of transport and recreational infrastructure, Nikolai Marchenko, Sinologist, director of the Eurasian Youth Projects NGO, explained to Izvestia.

For example, it is planned to build theme parks in the Far East — special tourist areas where Chinese people can come for a weekend break, Alexey Maslov said. Similar zones, the so-called bear corners, will appear in China for Russians. At the same time, the Chinese are becoming increasingly interested in other regions, including Dagestan and the regions of the Central District, which will also benefit from the increase in tourists.

The visa-free regime is of particular importance for cultural diplomacy and "soft power".

— After all, the introduction of visa-free travel helps to increase the level of mutual understanding between our peoples. The more Chinese citizens visit Russia, and the more Russians visit China, the greater the chance of forming an honest, unbiased and, as often happens, favorable image of the countries in the eyes of each other, Marchenko is sure.

The visa-free regime has opened up new business opportunities. In 2025, the interest of Russian companies in business trips to China increased significantly: the demand for business tourism increased by 27%, according to a study by Aeroclub. Companies from the oil and gas industry and the energy sector remain among the main participants in trips to China.

An impressive delegation from China is expected to attend the upcoming St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in June.

— We will have an official delegation. Its head will be a high—ranking representative from China," Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui told Izvestia.

It is very important that Russian and Chinese businessmen learn to better understand each other at the level of business ethics, Maslov believes. Thanks to visa-free travel, representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises are increasingly traveling to China to find partners, which directly strengthens economic ties between the two countries.